AFRICAN-AMERICAN POETRY STUDIES: THE EXPRESSION OF RACIAL TENSION IN THE WORK OF HUGHS, MCCAY, CULLEN AND BROWN

OBJECTIVE

***** objective of this work is the review ***** ***** ***** four authors, specifically those of:

*****) Langston Hughs - "Democracy";

2) Claude McKay - "If We Must Die";

3) Countee Cullen ***** "Uncle Jim"; and 4) Sterling Brown - "Bitter Fruit of the Tree" and to then discuss how each ***** these ***** expresses within their written work the subject of racism.

*****TRODUCTION

Many feelings and emotions are expressed through the art of poetry and this is particularly true of the *****s of *****, McKay, Cullen and ***** in ***** expressions of ***** in the poems studies in ***** research work.

As the poem continues Hughs relates that each individual has the same 'right' as one another in terms of independence and the rights to own *****ir own land. Hughs ***** that he grows weary of ***** who abdicate t*****ir own rights and enc*****age others ***** do so by 'letting things "take their own course" or go ***** they may stating:

***** not need my freedom when I'm dead.

A can***** live on tomorrow's bread." (Langston Hughs)

The poem of ***** ends ***** expressing that freedom comes to be needed by those who are deprived the most of freedom.

CULLEN: UNCLE JIM

In the work of Cullen entitled "Uncle Jim" the entirety of understanding this poem is in the first line which states:

White folks is white," says ***** Jim" (Countree Cullen)

***** just the first line of this poem it is expressed how all ***** blacks were not ready at the time of this poem for feeling or accepting ***** ***** were, just as the ***** people, Americans.

*****: "BITTER FRUIT OF THE TREE"

Many of Sterling Browns first *****s have *****en called "...lighthearted narr*****ives...' to be followed by "Bitter Fruit ***** the *****" which ***** been termed ***** be a "...***** vendetta..." in which he speaks of t***** suffering of his family, specifically ***** grandmother and grandfather and his father. Brown speaks of